NHL draft: Two Knights, Londoner Jett Luchanko picked in Round 1

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Sam Dickinson will be teammates one day in San Jose with No. 1 pick Macklin Celebrini.

Sam O’Reilly is on track to join Connor McDavid and the Edmonton Oilers down the road.

Londoner Jett Luchanko’s selection by the Philadelphia Flyers was, in true Vegas fashion, presented by famed fight announcer Michael Buffer.

It was all part of a glitzy and unforgettable first round of the NHL draft Friday at the sensational Sphere in Sin City. The two Sams – Dickinson (11th overall to the Sharks) and O’Reilly (32nd to the Oilers) – gave London two first rounders for the second straight draft after Oliver Bonk went to Philly and Easton Cowan to Toronto last year.

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It also extended the Knights’ staggering streak of having at least one of their players picked in every NHL draft since 1969 – a run of 55 years. Edmonton acquired the final selection of the first round from the Flyers and took two-way centre O’Reilly, who was the London franchise’s world-record 197th NHL draft pick.

“I wasn’t thinking too much of it,” O’Reilly told Sportsnet’s Jeff Marek. “I was just kind of looking at my family and kind of seeing what was going on. I heard the London Knights – and I couldn’t be happier.”

Dickinson was the fifth defenceman selected and third OHLer off the board behind Oshawa’s Beckett Sennecke (third to Anaheim) and Saginaw defenceman Zayne Parekh (ninth to Calgary). The 6-foot-3, 203-pounder from Toronto was also the second left-shot blue-liner to reach the stage and praised Mark and Dale Hunter for his development the past two years.

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“They’re the best organization in not only the CHL, but junior hockey,” the 18-year-old said. “They’ve put the most guys in this situation and I’m grateful for their guidance.”

After Dickinson was picked, Philadelphia traded the No. 12 slot to Minnesota, who took Denver University rearguard Zeev Buium.

Then, Philly grabbed Luchanko, the Guelph centre and Jr. Knights grad, with the 13th pick. That’s the same spot Nick Suzuki, the current Montreal Canadiens captain, went seven years ago to Vegas.

Luchanko became the highest-drafted Storm player since fellow Londoner Drew Doughty went second overall to the Los Angeles Kings in 2008.

“It was something special,” the 5-foot-11, 185-pounder said of Buffer’s introduction of his pick.

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Flyers GM Daniel Briere felt Luchanko helps add to the organization’s depth pool in the middle, which has been thin in recent years.

“We loved what he brought to the table – a complete player – and we’re really excited to see him wear the uniform down the years,” Briere said.

The Ontario Hockey League produced nine of the first-round picks and eight Canadians were selected among the opening 32 picks.

The draft continues with Rounds 2-7 Saturday.

rpyette@postmedia.com

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